Astyanax
heroInfant son of Hector and Andromache thrown from the walls of Troy by the Greeks to prevent a Trojan heir from surviving.
The Myth
They threw a baby off the walls of Troy — because they feared what he might become. After Troy fell, the Greeks debated what to do with Hector's infant son. Odysseus (or Neoptolemus) argued that no son of Hector could be allowed to grow up and seek revenge. The child was hurled from the battlements. Andromache could only watch. Euripides's Trojan Women stages Andromache's farewell to Astyanax as one of the most devastating scenes in all drama. His original name was Scamandrius; Hector's soldiers called him Astyanax (lord of the city). The name proved bitterly ironic — the lord of the city was murdered by the city's conquerors.
Parents
Symbols
Fun Fact
Hector bounces Astyanax on his knee in the Iliad — the same walls where the baby later dies.
Explore Further
Andromache
heroAndromache was Hector's devoted wife whose farewell with him on Troy's walls is the most tender...
Hector
heroHector was Troy's greatest warrior, who fought not for glory but to defend his city, wife, and son.
Neoptolemus
heroNeoptolemus was Achilles' fierce son, brought to Troy because a prophecy declared the city could...
Odysseus
heroThe cleverest of the Greek heroes, whose ten-year journey home from Troy is one of the greatest...
Odysseus (Trickster)
heroOdysseus was the most cunning of all Greek heroes — the man of polytropos (many turns), whose...
Pyrrhus
heroPyrrhus was the alternate name of Neoptolemus, meaning "the fiery" or "red-haired" — the name that...
Trojan Horse
conceptThe hollow wooden horse used by the Greeks to infiltrate and destroy Troy. Devised by Odysseus, it...
Trojan War
conceptThe Trojan War was the central event of Greek mythology — a ten-year siege of Troy by a Greek...
Troy
placeThe legendary city in Asia Minor besieged by the Greeks for ten years in the Trojan War. Troy's...
Troy (Hisarlik)
placeHisarlik in Turkey is the archaeological site identified as Homer's Troy — multiple cities layered...
Menoeceus
heroYoung Theban prince who killed himself to save Thebes after Tiresias prophesied the city needed...
Menoeceus (Sacrifice)
heroA young Theban nobleman who sacrificed himself by leaping from the city walls to fulfil Tiresias's...